Remain in Motion
by baozito3
Summary: A collection of drabbles written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Chapter six: In which there is yodelling, bad puns, and pick up lines. Let's see how much we can do with a game of truth or dare.
1. Different Worlds

This story was written for the Quidditch League Competition (round nine).

The prompt is: "What if Snape hadn't told the prophecy to Voldemort?"

Enjoy!

* * *

Snape didn't like the man.

Sure, he was his follower, but the way Voldemort spoke, the way his eyes flitted carefully to the faces of Death Eaters, and the way how he always kept his hands out of sight under his cloak all reminded Snape too much of himself. Voldemort did not trust any of them. Did he even care for any of them?

And what about Snape himself? Should he tell the Dark Lord about the prophecy he had just heard?

Snape suppressed a frustrated sigh as he pondered over the subject. He didn't know why but it just didn't feel… _right_ to tell him. He decided to wait a bit longer. Just to see how things work out.

* * *

Snape watched the happy family from the shadows as the boy boarded the train.

Before, he would've seethed at the anger and jealousy but right now, just for a moment, he felt grateful.

Something had held him back that day from spilling his secret to Voldemort and he was glad for that. He hadn't known the prophecy had been referring to Lily's child. If Voldemort knew, she would've been in extreme danger. Right now, the entire wizarding world was still being shaken by Voldemort but at this instant, Snape didn't care. Lily was still alive and safe. And the war, hopefully, would only last a few more years.

The train started to move. The boy, Snape heard that Harry was his name, waved to his parents from his window. The Death Eater stood and watched until the train was long gone and the parents and relatives of the children slowly left one by one, his eyes focusing on a certain redhead until she was left his sight.

Snape disapparated away.

* * *

The war was growing worse now. All around Snape, Death Eaters and Aurors alike were constantly preparing for battle and fights would erupt without warning. The war had been raging on for almost two decades and both sides were beginning to wear down. The Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix were all becoming exhausted and Snape knew that the next battle could be the decisive one.

He could say they had taken down all of the Ministry of Magic. The Death Eaters had infiltrated the ministry almost completely, bringing all of the ministers and wizards into their control. Now, there was just Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. Snape had to admit they were the harder opponents.

After picking off people in the order one by one and vandalizing their homes, they had all gone into hiding. The Death Eaters have searched for months and finally got them cornered.

The Order had picked Hogwarts for their last stand. When Snape heard about it, he could almost taste the bitter irony of it all. Most of these Death Eaters had come from that place, including Voldemort himself, and it was the last place where Snape had talked to Lily. Now, they were fighting on opposite sides in one of the most devastating wizard wars.

He didn't have much time to think about it though for Voldemort was giving them the signal to advance.

His leader stood, straight and tall, staring at the castle in front of them, his dark eyes unblinking. The Death Eaters had the school completely surrounded. They only had to destroy the barrier now.

"Finally," Voldemort rasped. "The war has been won." It _had_ already been won when they took down the Ministry, but Voldemort had insisted on destroying every single last Auror.

Snape took in a deep breath to calm himself.

"Lily," he thought.

He hoped that she had left the country by now. Lily had a family; she _couldn't_ have stayed to fight. Snape hadn't seen her for the last few years so he was almost positive that she has fled along with the hundreds of others who knew they couldn't win. Lily was loyal and had a strong sense of justice but even she couldn't possibly be this stupid, right? She couldn't possibly be in that castle, right?

Voldemort's command came suddenly and Snape was jolted out of his worries. "ATTACK!"

The Death Eaters swarmed to the castle, surrounding it instantly from all sides. The barrier did not last long as hundreds of them countered it at once. Snape watched it dissolve into the air, glittering in the evening sky.

As he ran toward the entrance, he could see some battles already starting to erupt. Flashes shot from the windows and Death Eaters dropped like flies. Some shot back, shattering the windows.

Snape knew this battle was going to be short. He ran inside, gripping his wand tightly. He could only see Death Eaters. The Aurors were hiding.

"Which way do we go?" Snaped asked a man next to him.

"Just check the entire castle," he grumbled back before running up a staircase.

Snape followed him. The Death Eater threw open a door and got a full blast from a spell from the inside. The impact pushed him over the edge and Snape listened to his scream as he fell all the way down to the first floor. So the Auror inside didn't use the killing curse on him, despite the dire situation. Snape almost shook his head at the displayed naivety. He braced himself and shot a spell inside the door.

"Stupefy!"

The Auror, a man with short dark hair, leaped to one side and sent a spell of his own. Snape ducked behind the corner of the door as it shot past his head. Another Death Eater came to help him. Together, they made short work of the Auror and Snape watched with apathetic eyes as he fell in a flash of green light.

He turned and kept running. All around, Snape could see Death Eaters racing around like shadows, most of them headed to the Great Hall. Snape turned and ran in the opposite direction. He didn't know why but his feet seemed to know where to go. He ended up where he didn't expect.

The Gryffindor common room.

It hadn't changed much. Snape had visited the place once before, when he had to pull a prank to get back at James and his idiot friends in his fifth year. He had to admit, the red banners and warm fireplace had looked rather attractive. Maybe because the fire had been the same shade of orange as her hair. Now, the fire wasn't burning anymore but the banners were still up.

There was no one in the room. Snape took a few cautious steps around. No other Death Eaters have arrived yet.

Suddenly, a rustling noise made Snape turn around, his wand arm raised. He found himself staring into two large green eyes from across the room. His breath caught in his throat.

The boy, no older than fourteen, was staring back at him with wide, frightened eyes. He was breathing in short gasps and his hands were clenched around his wand.

Snape hesitated. He didn't know what to do. He knew who the boy was.

Should he kill him? Lily's child?

Wait.

Why was the boy here? Does that mean…

"Wait!"

A woman jumped out of nowhere, cutting Snape off from Harry. She held her arms up protectively, her eyes wide and alarmed behind her red hair.

"Wait, please," Lily pleaded. "Don't kill my son."

Snape didn't move. His mind reeled and he almost dropped his wand. His arm moved on its own and peeled off his mask to get a better look at her face.

She hadn't changed much. The war had aged her, but her eyes still had the same sparkle in them that Snape had seen decades ago. She was wearing her wizard robes and her long hair, instead of being neatly combed, was tied up but falling apart.

"Lily," Snape said.

Lily's jaws dropped. Her arms lowered a little as she stared into his dark eyes.

"…Severus?" She sounded so disbelieving, so devastated.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" Snape whispered hoarsely. He had wanted to believe so badly that she had left. Maybe he had known on the inside that she wouldn't leave but how he had hoped that wasn't true! What was he supposed to do now?

"I'm…" Lily hesitated, thinking of what to say. "…fighting," she finished. She had a wand in her hand but didn't seem too eager to use it. Confusion flickered in her eyes.

Snape gulped. He knew they only had moments before other Death Eaters came in and finds Lily. He had to make a decision now.

Snape took a breath and regained his composure. "Lily, you have to leave," he said.

"But… I…"

"Take your kid and go. Or at least hide somewhere where they can't find you."

"Severus…"

"We don't have time to talk," Snape said curtly. "You'll die if they find you."

"But… why are you helping me, Snape?" Lily asked. "You'll get in trouble if-"

"There's no time to talk!" Snape snapped. "Why didn't you leave and escape?"

"J-James was going to stay and fight…"

"Oh, so you'd risk your life to stay with _him_?"

"Yes." Lily replied with such certitude, Snape felt his heart thud dully in his chest.

He turned away. "You'd even risk your child's life for him?" he asked bitterly.

He heard Lily pause. "No," she replied. "James told me to take Harry away. I was supposed to take Harry out of here away but he ran back to Hogwarts."

Harry was looking at his mother with fierce determination. "I told you to go, Mom," he said. "I was going to help Dad!"

Lily drew him close. There were tears in her eyes. "We can't win," she whispered sadly. She turned to Snape. "Will you really help Harry?"

Snape turned back and gave a curt nod. It was Lily he wanted to help, not her son, but it didn't matter, as long as she was safe too.

"Do you know a way out of here?" Snape asked.

Lily nodded. "There are many secret passages Dumbledore revealed to us," she said. "There's one-"Her eyes suddenly flitted to the side and widened.

Snape turned around without thinking and blasted the Death Eater with a stunning spell. As the man crumpled to the ground, Snape yelled at Lily to hurry and the three of them ran out of the room.

Lily led the way towards the south side of the castle and Snape checked around them constantly. A few Death Eaters appeared here and there but Lily caught them all by surprise and knocked them unconscious before Snape even raised his wand.

The secret passage wasn't far off in a small hallway and thankfully, no Death Eaters were to be found in that area. In fact, it looked quite deserted although Snape could hear cries and shouts from other places behind the walls. Lily quickly tapped a few places on the wall and a door shimmered to appearance. As she and Harry stepped into the doorway, Lily turned and looked at Snape.

He hoped his eyes didn't show any emotion. "Go."

Lily looked at him with sadness in her eyes and a sense of hesitation. She opened her mouth to speak when her eyes fell onto something behind Snape. She gave a short gasp and before Snape could even see who it was, Lily had already stepped in front of Harry to take the curse.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Snape and Harry watched as she fell, watched as her hair flew loose and settled on her face as her body crumpled without a sound. A strange noise resounded in Snape's ear and he wasn't sure if it was coming from his or the boy.

Voldemort himself stepped out of the shadows and gazed at them calmly.

"Severus," he said with hardly a hint of emotion. "I never thought that you'd betray me."

Snape's mind slowly stopped reeling and he saw his leader standing in front of him. He saw Lily, dead, at his feet, and he saw the destruction going on around him.

Why?

_Why?_

She had almost escaped it. Why? Why couldn't he have been a second faster? Why didn't he jump into the way instead?

Harry was hugging his mother and shaking her and crying. Snape stood as if his legs were rooted to the ground. He slowly turned and looked at Voldemort.

"The way you lead, many others will betray you, my Lord," Snape rasped.

He didn't want to think. He didn't want to feel. Snape raised his wand and fired the unforgivable curse at Voldemort who dodged and fired one of his own. Together, they attacked back and forth destroying their surroundings. Snape's power and energy was fueled by his anger. In all his time spent as a Death Eater, he had never felt so much the desire to kill someone. It didn't matter now that he had followed the man in front of him for years. It didn't matter if he himself died. It didn't matter if Voldemort was stronger, the strongest. Snape was going to end him.

Snape didn't know how long they fought, maybe seconds, maybe hours. He didn't know when he started feeling tired but when he realized, he felt like his arms were going to drop off. He couldn't tell if he was tiring Voldemort out; he looked indifferent.

Snape ran down the hall, shooting curses behind him. None of them hit his opponent. At the end of the hallway, Snape turned around the corner but crashed into a suit of armor situated on the other side of the wall. He tripped for half a second and Voldemort had his chance.

The force of the spell sent Snape flying against the wall. He felt his bones crack on impact and he fell to the ground and tasted blood in his mouth. He couldn't seem to raise his head. The only things left that did seem to function were his eyes for they flitted over to Voldemort.

The Dark Lord was staring past him. He had a look of surprise in his eyes. Snape saw the green flash for a split second before it disappeared from behind Voldemort.

The man fell first to his knees, a look of shock etched on his face. His body turned smoke-like and he disappeared in front of Snape's eyes.

The boy had his mother's wand in his hands. He stood, shaking, with tear stains on his cheeks, in between Snape and Lily. Snape didn't know where he had learned the killing curse but it didn't matter much. Harry, a child, had defeated Voldemort, Voldemort the Dark Lord.

Snape coughed. He could feel his lungs grow weaker by the moment. He wanted to call the boy over him but he couldn't find his voice. Harry seemed to have read his mind, though, for with trembling legs, he stumbled over to where Snape was.

Snape swallowed. He had to tell the boy all he knew before it was too late. Somehow, his voice came back.

"The horcruxes," Snape whispered. "You have to… destroy them." He knew he might be ruining the boy's life by telling him Voldemort's secret but who else can finish the Dart Lord off? Snape had stumbled across the information by accident himself and if Voldemort was to remain dead, the horcruxes must be destroyed. "He won't… be gone unless you… destroy the horcruxes…"

The boy's eyes were wide. "H-Horcruxes?"

"Dumbledore," Snape wheezed, barely audible. If the man wasn't dead, he could explain to Harry. "Now… run."

Snape felt his eyelids close. The world was dimming, it seemed. His head didn't hurt anymore and for a second, he forgot about the battle happening around him. Harry turned away slowly and half ran, half staggered towards the door. Snape watched as he disappeared into the secret passage. He felt a little stab of guilt and sympathy for the boy although it quickly disappeared.

Snape glanced over to where Lily laid, her hair spread out around her like fire. He wanted to be able to touch her, or even look into her eyes one last time. His body, however, simply couldn't move anymore so he stared at her instead. Maybe only a second passed but Snape felt like he stared on forever. She was only a few metres away from him but they could have been worlds apart. Maybe they always had been.

Snape closed his eyes.


	2. Regret

Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition round 10. Prompt: write about your team character's biggest mistake. (We chose Lily)

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm sorry." Severus looked down dejectedly at his feet.

Lily had no hesitation in her voice. "I'm not interested."

Severus looked up to her, his dark eyes pleading. "I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath," Lily responded coldly. "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

Severus nodded. "I was! I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-"

"Slipped out?" Lily felt herself growing angrier by the minute. She took a breath and let out everything that had been bothering her for the last few years. How could Severus not see all the problems he was causing her? Lily tried. She really did, but it just didn't seem to work. Severus didn't seem to care about what she felt at all. He only did what was convenient for him.

Lily had enough. She couldn't take it anymore.

She gave her previous friend a glare and disappeared behind the portrait, the look of his sad eyes still etched in her memory.

* * *

Lily woke to the pounding rain. There had been a downpour overnight but now, it receded somewhat. She pulled off her covers and slipped on her slippers, running a hand through her hair.

It was that dream again. She seemed to be dreaming of the past a lot lately. Maybe joining the Aurors was making her a bit paranoid, now that the war was starting to pick up its pace. Lily found herself in battles many times with Death Eaters as they tried to infiltrate the Ministry or attack her comrades.

"Morning, Lily," James said as Lily walked into the kitchen. "Eat quick, 'cause we have an Order meeting," He handed her a platter of eggs and toast and she took it gratefully, giving him a small kiss.

James brushed her long hair back. "You look troubled," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing…" Lily said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "It's just… I had bad dream, that was all." How could she talk about Severus to James? He wouldn't understand, would he?

"You sure?" James asked.

"I… I dreamed about Severus," Lily blurted out after a moment of confliction.

James arched an eyebrow. Before they got married, whenever Lily mentioned Severus, James would start badmouthing him without a second though. Afterwards however, this didn't seem to bother him as much. James also matured a lot after they joined the Order of the Phoenix as full-fledged Aurors.

"And… this is bothering you?" he asked.

"Yes, I…" Lily frowned. "You know that I didn't talk to Severus much after that… _incident_," she said, thinking back to the day her friend called her a Mudblood after she defended him from James. "I was so mad I didn't care back then, but now… I-I don't know, James."

Lily looked up helplessly and she told him what had been bothering her for the last few weeks. "I told Severus that we've chosen separate paths but what if that caused him to go down the wrong path? What if he became a Death Eater because of I deserted him? Oh, James…"

James led Lily to the table and they both sat down. He poured her a cup of water and set it by the table.

"Lily, Snape chose to become friends with Voldemort's followers," James said. "He himself practiced dark magic. You didn't cause him to do that."

"But… I was his friend. I could have prevented it."

"And you tried. You tried for years, but that idiot just refused to listen to you."

"I should've forgiven him," Lily whispered miserably. "Oh, why was I so stubborn?"

James rubbed her back soothingly. "Don't say that," he said. "Even if you did forgive him, that doesn't mean he won't call you disgusting things again. You've been nothing with him but patient, Lily." He drew her into a hug. "More patient that what that pig-headed dunce deserved."

Lily let out a small sigh. She knew James was just trying to cheer her up but she couldn't shake off the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Lily sincerely hoped Severus was alright. The last time she's seen him, he had well been a Death Eater already, still hanging around those horrible dark magic practitioners. Lily knew in her heart that Severus was going over to Voldemort's side so she stopped trying to deny it. She could only hope that he was alright.

"James… what if we meet Severus again?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Meet him again?"

"What if… we meet him in a battle?"

"I would fight him, of course," James replied quietly. "So would Sirius, Remus and even Peter. I mean," he let out a small chuckle. "I don't think good old Snape will hesitate to kill me. I won't hesitate to strike him down, Lily."

James turned to look at her, a question floating in his eyes. "What about you?" he seemed to ask silently.

Lily closed her eyes for a fraction of a second. She remembered meeting Snape for the first time when she was showing Petunia how she could open and close a flower's petals. She remembered them sitting in the train together after Petunia made her cry. She remembered when she used to be best friends with the man who first opened her world to magic.

She remembered horrible day when he betrayed her and insulted her. She remembered her fury at him after that and promising herself to not forgive him this time. That feeling was gone now, replaced with nothing but regret.

"How did things get this bad?" Lily thought. They used to be best friends but were now fighting on opposite sides in a horrible war. Why had things come to this?

Lily sighed and looked to James, James whom she had hated all those years ago.

"I will fight him, too if it comes to it," Lily finally said. "I won't let Severus hurt you, or anyone."

James let out his breath, looking almost relieved. "Alright," he said. "I trust you will. You can't feel sorry for him now, Lily. The situation's beyond that now."

"I know," Lily said. "But, if Severus has a change of heart and decides to join our side, I will support that."

James let out a small laugh. "I don't think he'll have a change of heart."

"Probably not, but there's always a chance."

"Well, sure." James stood up and walked over to the sink. He started washing the dishes. "You better hurry with your food. The meeting's going to start without us."

"Yes, yes." Lily let out a small smile and quickly ate.

She couldn't quite shake off the feeling. Lily knew Severus wouldn't change sides so easily so why did she feel this way? It was absolutely ridiculous but she felt that Severus would be joining them soon. And when he did, she would finally be able to forgive him.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Review please!


	3. I'm Your Brother

Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Prompt: write about any combination of the Potter/Weasley kids

Enjoy!

* * *

Albus looked around the corner and quietly tiptoed across the common room. He was tired and frankly had no time to deal with the bullies today. His homework was piling up and if he didn't get down to doing them soon, his parents will receive an owl back home.

He heard someone's footsteps behind him and almost jumped out of his skin as Rose stepped into the room.

Their eyes met and she greeted him. "Hello, Albus! Finished dinner yet?"

"Uh… yeah. I was just about to go do my homework." Albus turned to face away from his cousin.

"Oh, alright." Rose suddenly narrowed her eyes when she realized something was off. "Albus, are those kids still bothering you?" she asked cautiously.

Albus silently cursed under his breath. Why does she have to be so perceptive? "It's not that bad anymore," he lied. "They've stopped bothering me after I told on them. Really, it's fine."

Albus had never expected himself to be a target of bullies but it seemed that some students harboured the old grudges of their parents.

The Slytherins had cornered him for the first time a few months ago in an empty hallway.

"So this is Albus Potter," one of them had sneered. "The spineless son of the famous Harry Potter?"

Albus had tried to remain calm. "Yes, I'm Albus," he replied. "What do you want?"

They smacked his books onto the ground. "Nothing," another replied. "We just want to get acquainted with you."

"We'll see you around, Albus." They were grinning when they left.

It wasn't anything serious, really. They would taunt him but it was nothing more than a shove at most. Albus had tried to keep it a secret but a few weeks ago, James had discovered his tattered textbooks and got suspicious for Albus always took care of his books. Albus confessed to his brother after he wouldn't stop nagging him about it and James, being James, wouldn't keep quiet and told Professor McGonagall.

"You're such an idiot," James had told him. "How could you not have told me something this important?"

"It's not that important," Albus insisted. He had to hold his brother back from storming to the Slytherin's table in the Great Hall. "Really, you shouldn't make a fuss. I don't want Mum and Dad to get worried."

"You can't just let those gits walk all over you, Albus."

"I know. I can take care of it."

Nevertheless, James had reported the bullying to a teacher anyways.

At first, Albus wasn't sure whether to thank his brother or not. The boys left him alone for a while but after a week, the bullying continued and this time on a bigger scale. They were angry and blamed him. They threatened to go after Rose and James if Albus told on them.

Albus had been terrified. He hid his books under his bed and even avoided his friends and family members in case they noticed something was wrong. His plan had gone great until now. Rose was looking at him suspiciously and Albus swallowed, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Well, I have to get going now," he said. "See you tomorrow, Rose."

"Alright, good night." Her voice sounded uncertain.

Albus quickly walked up the stairs and ran into his room, his heart thumping.

* * *

"Hey, Albus! How's it going?" Albus had memorized all their names by now. Jack, Greyson, and Raul.

"Going fine," Albus responded quietly. He quickly peered around and saw no one, not sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed. "I have lots of homework though, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Oh, I have work too," Jack interrupted. "Hey, why don't you do us a favour and do it for us, huh, Albus?" He glanced at his friends and they all smirked. "A favour? For friends?"

Albus trembled and tried to find his voice. "Uh… I-I don't think-"

He was suddenly shoved against the wall. His bag slipped from his shoulders and fell to the floor, its contents spilling out.

"Come on, Albus! Why not do our homework for us?"

"Yeah, Albus!"

They were too busy laughing to take notice of the books they were stepping on. Albus blinked back his tears and shielded his face instinctively as they continued to push him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green at the corner of the hallway. Albus quickly wiped away his tears and got a closer look. It was a Slytherin watching them.

No, worse. It was Scorpius Malfoy. His blank eyes met Albus' for a second before he disappeared silently behind the corner.

After a few minutes, the bullies decided they've had enough and left quickly before anyone saw them. Albus slowly picked up his books by himself and walked off.

* * *

"Hey, Albus! Glad we ran into you again," Jack said. "You haven't been showing up at our usual spot."

They were in the bathroom. Albus had spotted them coming down the hall and quickly slipped into the washroom but they had seen him already. He fiddled with his sleeves.

"I've started avoiding that place," Albus said carefully.

"So?" Jack said. "What made you think you can just get rid of us like that? We can still find you." As if to prove his point, he pinched Albus' arm, hard.

Albus gulped. He already had bruises on his arms and really didn't want anymore. "Can you… Can you please just leave me alone?" he asked as calmly as he could.

The Slytherins only smiled. "Why would you want that?" Greyson asked. "We're your friends. Who else would want to be friends with such a sissy like you?"

"Yeah!"

"You're just a weak little Gryffindor. Weak like all the rest of them."

The second Raul said that, Albus felt a funny ringing in his ears and a hot anger growing in the pit of his stomach. Mocking him was one thing they but they were mocking Gryffindors, calling them _weak_! Gryffindors were anything but weak.

"Don't call us that," Albus said. He felt his voice coming back. Albus swatted Jack's arm off him and glared at the Slytherins defiantly. "Don't mock Gryffindors!"

The surprise on the bullies' faces quickly disappeared. Jack laughed. "So what?" he taunted. "So what if I call them weak, huh? It's only true." He gave Albus a good kick in the shins. "You can't stand up to us," Jack said. "Cause you're weak! Don't think you're something just because your dad was something. You're nothing!"

Albus grimaced from the pain in his leg. He was absolutely fuming. He wanted to give each of them a good punch in their noses. Albus didn't care whether they'll seriously hurt him this time. He swung his arm back and aimed it at Jack's face.

He was too slow and the boy ducked, surprised. Jack quickly recovered and pushed Albus to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack yelled angrily.

"Leave me alone," Albus yelled back. He tried to ram past the three boys to run out of the washroom but Greyson caught him by the back of his robes and pulled him back.

"Oh, no," Albus thought. It was serious this time. He was definitely going to get it this time. He braced himself for the attack and closed his eyes just as Jack was about to bring his fist down.

He didn't know how long it went on for, it was just a jumbled mess of confusion and pain but somewhere through it all, Albus heard the angry yell. It sounded familiar so he opened his eyes… just in time to see James leap out of nowhere and bring Jack down with a magnificent punch.

His brother was panting, as if he had run here. His hair was in more of a mess than usual and his eyes were lit up fiercely. He turned and glared at Greyson and Raul as Jack cupped his cheek, groaning on the ground.

James didn't even hesitate. He lunged at Raul and punched him in the stomach and then kicked at his legs. After Greyson got over his shock, he also entered the fight, grappling with James as Raul crumpled to his knees.

James cursed and wrestled with Greyson, the both of them slammed into the wall beside Albus. Albus, stunned, stared at the fight going on in front of him, still not fully grasping what was happening. Only when Jack and Raul come to Greyson's aid did Albus snap out of his daze.

"Stop it!" Albus stumbled to his feet, clutching his throbbing stomach and tried to pull Jack off his brother. The four boys were in a mass of flailing legs and arms. Albus was shoved aside but he quickly ran back and grabbed someone's, he wasn't sure whose, arm and tried to pull him out of the fight.

"Stop it!" They weren't listening to him and Albus found himself growing more and more hysterical. "Stop! Leave him alone!"

A loud bang made Albus jump. It surprised the other boys too, for they all stopped fighting for a second and looked towards the door from where the noise came from. Professor McGonagall stepped in quietly and stared, her hand around her wand. Jack had a fistful of James' hair and Raul was clutching James' collar with both hands. James had a foot on Jack's arm and was in the middle of slugging Raul. Albus had been clinging onto Greyson who was trying to pry him off. Professor McGonagall's face was near emotionless as she looked them over but her voice brimmed with anger.

"Come with me."

James opened the door without knocking and stepped into Albus' room.

"Hey, Al," he said, plopping onto his bed. "You alright?"

Albus looked over from his desk to his older brother. He had bruises on both his cheeks and the cut on his lip was still visible.

"You should get Nurse Wainscott to see to that," Albus told him. It was the day after Professor McGonagall found out about the bullies. Yesterday, they had all been escorted to the office and had received a firm lecturing but Professor McGonagall had gone easy on James and Albus. "Consider the two of you lucky," she had scolded them. "If Scorpius hadn't told me what happened, how long would you have allowed this to go on for?"

James let out a chuckle and lay onto the bed. "Sure, I'll go get it checked after I talk to you."

Albus gulped. "Talk to me?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty lucky of you that Scorpius spotted and reported those Slytherins, huh?"

"Well… yeah." As much as Albus didn't want to admit it, he had Scorpius to thank. Maybe that boy wasn't so bad after all.

"You know, he was the one that told me too," James said. "I ran into him in the halls and he told me those bastards had cornered you in the bathroom."

"R-really?" Albus stammered, surprised. He didn't know that Scorpius had spotted him again.

"Yeah." James hesitated, then sat up and looked Albus in the eye. "Hey, why didn't you tell me they were bothering you again?"

"Erm," Albus said. "It's… it's just…" he tried to think of a reason quickly but couldn't. "I don't know," Albus finally said. "I… I… I was just being stupid, I guess."

"Damn right you were," James said, sounding so certain that Albus flinched. "I never knew you could be so thick headed. Don't you ever learn anything?"

"Well, I didn't ask you to jump in like that," Albus said. "You made it worse, you know! You got more hurt than I did!"

"What?" James yelled, indignantly. "Do you expect me to just stand back and do nothing?"

"Yeah," Albus felt his voice raising. "I could've handled it! You didn't have to get involved! Why did you?"

James blinked. "'Cause I'm your brother," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Albus opened his voice to respond but found out he couldn't. He stared at James who stared back blankly.

"I'm your older brother," James repeated. "If you get in trouble, I'll be the first there to help you. You just have to promise you can't hide anything from me. I'm your _brother_, Al."

His older brother had a serious look in his eyes which Albus wasn't used to seeing. James was usually so arrogant and loud, Albus didn't see him as someone who could care so much. A sudden feeling of shame welled up inside him.

"Alright," Albus promised quietly. "I… I will, James."

James grinned, looking more like his old self, even with the bruises. "Great! That's what I'm talking about!" he said. "Man, it's hard being the oldest. When Lily comes, we have to both look after her; I don't think I can handle the two of you myself."

Albus smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I don't think I could trust you to look after Lily by yourself anyways."

"Hey, what're you talking about? I'm great!"

"Sure. Sure you are."

"Hey, are you being sarcastic?"

As James brought him into a headlock and ruffled his hair, Albus heard himself laugh for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	4. Goodbye

Written for the Quidditch League Fanfic Competition

Prompt: write about your OTP saying goodbye. (Sorry about my oh-so-original title.)

Enjoy!

* * *

The first time he met her, she was outside staring at a tree branch.

It was during autumn of his first year and he was hurrying back to the school after a herbology class when he spotted her ahead of him. She had a peculiar look on her face as she smiled at the branch, ignoring (or perhaps completely oblivious to) the strange stares other students were giving her.

She saw him coming and paused in her seeming trance for a second to smile at him. Then, she continued looking at the tree.

He, curious at what she was looking at, stopped walking to take a look for himself. There was nothing on the branch but some leaves.

"Those humdingers are so interesting, aren't they?" Her voice was soft and caught him by surprise. It seemed to float in the air like a wisp of cloud.

"Um… yeah," he replied, pretending to understand what she was talking about. He quickly made an excuse about being late for his next class so he could scoot past her and continue on his way. Only later did he realize how stupid it sounded for he forgot he had lunch after herbology.

Nevertheless, even if she had known, she didn't question him about it. "Goodbye!" she called after him as he stumbled away.

He hesitated and glanced back. "Um… bye."

She was weird.

* * *

The second time they talked, he was already in his fifth year. By this time, he knew exactly who she was. The name "Loony Lovegood" could be heard being whispered in the halls as more and more students experienced firsthand the lost cause that was Luna. She didn't try to hide it at all and didn't seem to be embarrassed in the slightest when others called her strange.

When he opened the compartment door and spotted her sitting in the far corner, he immediately closed the door without thinking. If it wasn't for Harry and Ginny, he wouldn't have gone back but somehow, he ended up spending the entire ride in the same compartment as her. The ride to the school was one of the longest, yet at the same time, shortest ones he ever had to sit through. He tried to distract himself by showing off his new plant but all that managed to do was embarrass Harry as it squirted him with Stinksap.

After they walked into the Great Hall with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, she walked off to the Ravenclaw table before he could say goodbye. But why did it matter? She hadn't remembered their first little encounter after all.

* * *

"Neville, are you alright?" He opened his eyes and looked up. She was standing by his hospital bed carrying a Quibbler magazine, which she set down gently next to his arm. "I thought you might be bored and brought you something to read."

They had just come back from their first battle with Death Eaters and he was resting in the hospital wing.

"Oh, thanks," he said. "And I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey healed my nose in an instant. She just wants me to stay for one night just in case."

She smiled. "That's good to hear. You were very brave, you know. I can see why you've been sorted into Gryffindor."

He felt his face heat up. It wasn't often people complimented him like this. "Th-thanks! You were too! We all were! Actually, I was really afraid."

"I'm sure we were all scared."

"Yeah."

They sat in awkward silence for a while, or perhaps it only felt awkward for him since her face didn't seem to show any sign of discomfort. After a few minutes, she stood up.

"Well, Neville, I should head back to the Ravenclaw tower. I'll see tomorrow."

"Yeah! Good night!"

* * *

Dumbledore's death came as a shock. As he sat, stiff as a board, staring in front of him at a sea of wizards dressed in black dress robes, he wondered. If such a great man could be gone in an instant, what were the chances of him surviving the war?

After the ceremony was over, he spotted her standing by the lake. He could make out it was her from her blond hair. She stood, with her head slightly lowered and her arms straight at her sides as if she was staring at a creature only she could see. He walked up her, his legs moving on their own.

"Hey, Luna," he said. "Are you alright?"

She turned, gave him a small smile and went back to staring at the lake. "I will be. What about you?"

He grimaced, still affected by his wounds from the intense battle. "I'll be fine too. What're you looking at?"

He expected her to say a Snorgle or something but she just shrugged and said, "Nothing."

They drifted into silence again but neither of them seemed to mind. He stared into the lake as the breeze picked up and blew her hair around her face. Finally, he decided it was time for him to leave.

He was about to walk away when he blurted out, "You… you be careful from now on. Over the summer and next year, too. We don't know what will happen but there's a high chance we'll be in more danger again. It would be really bad if something happened."

He probably would've blabbered on and on but stopped when she gave a small laugh. "I get it, Neville! Don't worry, I'll be careful. Listen, I got the word from Harry that he isn't going to return to Hogwarts next year. He's going to search for the Horcruxes. Do you know what that means? It means we have to take the lead now. We have to continue Dumbledore's Army without him and Ron and Hermione."

"Wh-what?" He stared, shocked. "How… how can we do that? I… I…"

"You'll do fine," she said. "Don't worry, we're all in this together. It doesn't matter how bad things get. I know you're very brave, Neville."

He hesitated, daring to believe her words. "I… I guess with your help and Ginny's, we can do it."

She nodded. "I'm certain we will. Oh, hey, my dad's here. I have to go now. Get some rest, alright?"

He peered over his shoulder and spotted her dad waving to them. He nodded. "Okay. See you later."

"Goodbye!"

* * *

The end of the war came glorious and relieving, but it didn't come without the terrible sense of loss and anguish.

There were people hugging and laughing and crying and wailing. He remembered being tackled by some of his friends, silently mourning the dead, hugging his grandmother, and looking over at her to see her smile at him, promising to talk more later, after everyone's calmed down and left them alone.

* * *

"Neville, I'd like you to meet Rolf."

The man had immediately reminded him of her. They had the same quirkiness in their eyes. His smile was hastier but had the same pleasantness in it. Rolf stuck out his hand and he took it quickly.

"Nice to meet you!" he said, realizing his voice sounded slightly strained.

"Yes, nice to meet you too! I hear that you're the new Herbology teacher of Hogwarts?"

"Ah, yes. I just got the job."

Rolf smiled. "Luna's told me all about you," he continued. "You must be very close friends. I would've liked it if we had the chance to properly meet sooner."

"Yes. I heard you're a wizarding naturalist? You and Luna are studying in the same department, right?"

Rolf didn't seem like a bad person. Rolf went on about Humdingers and Snorkacks but it didn't seem weird at all. He was so used to hearing about them already anyways. From her. She watched the conversation between the two of them quietly, piping up once in a while but mostly staying silent with that small smile of hers.

After some time, Rolf said they had to get going to attend a meeting. Rolf bid him farewell, firmly stating they had to talk about magical creatures and Herbology some other time. She gave him a gentle pat on the arm and another one of her smiles before leaving with her boyfriend.

"Well, we have to get going now, Neville."

"Yes, Luna. I'll see you some other time."

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye…"

As she walked away, her hair trailed behind her, gently floating in the wind.


	5. Where's Hugo?

Written for the Quidditch Fanfic Competition

Prompt: A misunderstanding between your OTP

Enjoy!

* * *

Hermione wasn't mad.

Well, alright perhaps she had been mad at first but after a while, the feeling had worn down to weariness. Then, it had turned into worry. Then, an all-out panic struck her.

Hugo had been in his booster seat just moments ago. She had turned away to go to the washroom and when she returned, her baby was gone. Gone. Hermione hadn't been worried at first; she expected that Ron or perhaps Mrs. Weasley had picked Hugo up and carried him to somewhere else in the Burrow but when she spotted Ron sitting by himself reading the newspaper and he told her that Mrs. Weasley went out for a bit, she started feeling weary.

Ron and Hermione had brought their children to the Burrow for a visit. The Burrow wasn't exactly the safest of houses. It was many stories high and had moving objects including knives and pots among others. Who knows where a baby could end up?

Hermione suddenly had a startling vision of Hugo climbing out of a window… three stories high. She let out a small shriek despite herself and started searching frantically.

"Ron!" Hermione called. "Ron, help me! I can't find Hugo!"

"Hmm? What?" Ron's voice drifted over from the living room. "Isn't he on the booster seat?"

"Not anymore!"

"Oh, he'll show up."

Frustration jolted in her and Hermione frowned. "Ron, you could sound a bit more worried, you know. Hugo's missing."

"He's a baby, he couldn't have gone far. He's in this house somewhere."

"Ron," Hermione said angrily. She suddenly stopped as a realization hit her. Could Ron have taken Hugo and hid him on purpose to scare her? Is that why he sounded so indifferent? Why, just a few days ago, Ron had scared her out of her wits, creeping up on her while wearing a headless hat. She had gotten him back by setting off Box 'O' Rockets behind his back a day later. Was this his idea of revenge?

"Ronald. Weasley." Hermione stormed into the living room, her brown hair trailing messily behind her. "This. Isn't. Funny."

Ron looked up to his wife, blinking in surprise. "What are you talking about, Hermione? Whoa, you look a mess! What happened?"

"I've been looking through the entire house for Hugo!" Hermione had to remind herself to keep her voice down. "You have him, don't you?"

"W-what?"

"Don't 'w-what' me, Ron. Hand Hugo over. I know you want to repay me for those rockets but you shouldn't use Hugo to scare me like this!"

"W-what? But I'm not…"

"Oh, yeah? Then where could he have gone? You said your mother's gone out so who else could've taken him?"

"I don't know…" Ron put down the newspaper. "Maybe he got out himself somehow… he is a little wizard, you know. Do you think he could've somehow gotten himself down from that chair?"

As Hermione looked over Ron's countenance, she slowly felt her anger recede. Either he was a brilliant actor or he wasn't kidding after all. Hermione didn't think it was the first one.

"T-then… where could he have gone…?"

Her husband looked back at her equally confused as if he had just grasped how dire the situation was. "I don't know…"

They locked eyes for a few second before both reacting at the same time and running out of the living room.

"Hugo?" Hermione peeked behind the curtains. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron tiptoeing around.

"Hugo?" he looked behind the doors. "Hugo?"

They both headed for the stairs at the same time and almost crashed into each other while they tried to squeeze past each other. Hermione ducked past Ron and lightly but swiftly climbed the stairs.

"Hugo!" she called out. She ran all the way to Ron's room first and searched through his closet. She didn't find her child but did find a Chudley Cannon boxer. Hermione smirked and tossed it back into the closet. After looking under the bed, she quickly ran out and met up with Ron as ran out of his parents' room.

His face had the same look as she felt and they ran downstairs without another word.

After searching through every single room, under every bed, around every corner, and behind every door, Ron and Hermione finally decided to take a look outside. Hermione's heart quickened despite herself. She still hadn't forgotten her previous vision of Hugo possibly falling out of a window. She had wanted to avoid going out into the garden for that very reason. What if her son was a flat pancake on the ground?

Hermione let out a small distressed sniffle.

"Now, now, Hermione, don't get overwhelmed," Ron quickly said. He took her hand as they walked to the door. "I'm sure we're panicking over nothing…" He tried to keep the fear out of his voice but Hermione still heard it. However, she was grateful Ron tried to cheer her up.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione said quietly. "I blamed you without thinking."

"Oh, Hermione, are you still hung up on that? I had already forgotten about it!" Ron turned to grin at her. "Don't worry! I'm sure Hugo'll turn up. Maybe Rose has him or someth-"

The couple stopped and stared at each other again. This time, they ran outside, pushing each other as they tried to squeeze past the door at the same time.

"Rose?"

"Rose? Rose!"

Hermione and Ron ran through the yard and to the garden. They spotted nothing but the pond and a few occasional gnomes.

"Where could they be?" Hermione muttered.

"The orchard?" Ron suggested.

The couple walked through the trees softly calling out the names of their kids as they went. They still had no luck.

Hermione threw her hands up into the air, frustrating and fear crawling up her throat. "Ron, we've searched everywhere!" she exclaimed. "Where on earth could they be, those two insufferable little-"

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron said. He paused to catch his breath before resuming. "Let's think… where haven't we searched? Oh!"

The two looked at each other and simultaneously said, "The garage!"

They burst into the little garage at the same time, red faced and out of breath. Hermione's hair flew all around her, blocking out her vision and Ron bent over, panting. Their children had almost reached them when they spotted them. Rose was carrying Hugo who sat quietly in his sister's arms.

"Oh, Rose! Hugo!" Hermione reached out to take them into her arms.

"Mummy, Daddy, what happened to you?" Rose said, wide eyed.

Ron waved his hand. "Nothing, nothing," he said, still panting. "We're fine. Rose, did you take Hugo here?"

Rose freed herself from her mother's arms. "Yes."

"Rose, you shouldn't take your brother outside without telling me," Hermione scolded. "We thought the two of you were lost!"

Rose stood up straight. "I'll never get lost, Mummy," she said. "And I was only showing Hugo Grandpa's funny Muggles objects. See? Hugo likes them." She picked up a small car model from a shelf to show to her parents when suddenly, with a _ZWAP! _Rose disappeared in a flash.

Ron and Hermione stared at the place their little girl had been standing a second ago.

"R-Ron…"

"Yeah, Hermione?"

"Did your dad make some of his little trinkets into Portkeys?"

"I-I believe so…"

Both of them snapped out of their daze at the same time.

"Quick! After her!"


	6. Truth or Dare

Written for the Quidditch Fanfic Competition

* * *

"Hmm? What're you guys doing?"

Harry, Ron and Neville looked up to see Hermione approach them. The boys shrugged.

"Nothing," Ron replied to Hermione. "We're bored."

There was no one else in the Gryffindor common room aside from the group of friends. Hermione had to admit it was a rather boring day. None of them had received much homework and for once, they had time to lounge around. Hermione took a seat on a couch next to Neville and said, "Well, why don't we play a game?"

Harry turned to her. "A game?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. It's a game that muggles play called 'truth or dare'."

"How do you play it?" asked Neville.

"Oh, it's easy. You ask people 'truth or dare?' and they have to pick one. If they pick truth, they must truthfully answer a question you ask. If they pick dare, they must do whatever you tell them."

"…that sounds hard."

Hermione shook her head. "Not really. If you want, Neville, we can keep the dares and questions reasonable."

Ron leaned back in his chair. "This sounds easy!" he said. "How would you know if the other person is lying?"

Hermione smiled. "Well, we just have to count on each other to be truthful," she said, slowly taking out her wand. "Now don't we?"

"Um… ok. Got it."

Harry grinned. "So, who goes first?"

"Neville…" Hermione turned to her first victim. "Truth… or dare?"

"Um… truth."

Hermione didn't bat an eyelash. "How often do you masturbate?"

* * *

Ron turned to Harry and smiled with a sly look in his eyes. "Harry, do you want a dare or a truth?"

Harry gulped. His eyes flickered to the corner where Neville had been for the last five minutes. The poor kid was still trembling. "I… I'll go with dare," he decided.

Ron grinned. "Alright!" he yelled. "I dare you to… yodel outside of Snape's class!"

Harry turned pale in the face. "Wh-what?" he stammered. "I thought we had to keep the dares reasonable!"

Hermione shrugged. "I think it's a reasonable dare," she said. "Now, come on! Snape should be in his class right now." She took Harry by the arm and dragged him into the hallway. Ron and Neville followed gleefully.

"But you guys…" Harry protested. "I don't want to!"

"You promised to," Ron said. "And you agreed to this game!"

"Shut up, Ron! You're not the one who has to do this! And this is Snape we're talking about!"

Hermione pulled Harry in front of Snape's class. The professor was inside marking tests at his desk.

"Alright, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Wait until we're out of sight before you start yodeling."

Harry gulped. "You guys are bloody sadists," he said. However, he stayed where he was and watched his friends duck behind the corner of the hallway.

They hid behind the corner and smiled at each other, trying to hide back their giggles. A few seconds later, they heard the loud, hoarse attempt of a yodel coming from down the hall from Harry and bursted out laughing. Ron peeked over the corner and saw Harry sprinting towards them, his eyes wide with fear. None of them stopped running until they got to the Fat Lady.

"Password?"

"Wonky snorkats," Hermione panted.

Just as the portrait closed behind them, Hermione thought she saw someone tall and dark coming down the hall.

"POTTER!"

* * *

After his body stopped shaking and finally relaxed, Harry sat up in his chair. "Alright, Hermione, truth or dare?"

Hermione hesitated. "Hmm… I'll go with… dare."

"Really?" Harry perked his eyebrow. "Alright," he said. "I dare you to crack puns for the next hour. Everything you say must be in puns."

Hermione patted Neville's shoulder. "Harry up, Neville," she said. "It's your turn."

"Ok," Neville replied, turning to Ron. "Ron, truth or dare?"

"Well," Ron started. "Since we've been going with dares a lot, I'll pick dare, too." It was only Neville. What could he do? Besides, Hermione was in the room so Ron did not want to take his chance with truths.

"I dare you to wear a dress and use bad pick up lines on the Slytherins!" Neville blurted.

The room remained silent for three seconds.

"No." Ron sounded adamant. "No. Way."

"Ron answer," Hermione replied.

"You've got no choice," Harry said triumphantly.

It took them thirty minutes to get Ron into one of Ginny's dresses.

"H-H-Hermione," Ron complained as his friend buttoned up the dress.

"H-hur my knee," She replied. "You're doing this."

Ron stared at her. "That was a horrible pun."

"Shut your… long bottom," Hermione shot back, although her face started turning red.

After putting on the pink dress, Ron's friends forcefully escorted him towards the Slytherin's common room. There weren't a lot of people in the hallways but the ones that saw them gave Ron extremely weird glances. Luna was one of them.

"Hey, what're you guys doing?" she asked, running up to them.

"Ron's gonna go flirt with the Slytherins," Neville told her. "He… well, he has to. It's a long story."

"Sure. I'll come watch."

As they dragged a loud and kicking Ron down the hall, Neville spotted some Slytherins walking closer. He decided to make it easier for his friend.

"Hey Ron, how about you just have to use a bad pickup line on those guys over there?" he suggested. "Just one is good."

Ron, desperate to get back into their common room, gulped and said, "D-deal…"

But of course, it was Draco and his group of friends that were walking towards them. Ron cursed and continued to curse inwardly as they approached them.

Draco's eyes widened when he saw them. "Whoa, is that you, Weasley?" he said. "What…" Even Draco was too shocked to insult him. However, Ron knew he would recover in a few seconds and start laughing his head off so he quickly took his chance.

"Y-YOU SLYTHERINS ARE SSSSSSSSOO SSSSSSEXY!" Ron yelled into Draco's face. He glared into the blond boy's eyes, daring him to say a word before turning around and scrambling back down the hall occasionally tripping on the pink dress.

Draco's jaws dropped. He, Crabbe, Goyle, Luna, and the Gryffindors stared at where Ron used to be and then at each other.

"I am so sorry," Neville finally said.

"Don't be," Luna told him smiling.

* * *

As Ron furiously untangled himself from the dress, Harry watched sympathetically from the side.

"We all got embarrassed today, Ron," Harry said. "Don't worry, this'll pass." He stifled a laugh.

"That was so bloody unfair!" Ron yelled. "That git, Neville! How could he?"

"True. I never knew he could think of something like that."

"Harry… did you just laugh?"

"W-what? No!"

"Yes you did! You were laughing!" Ron's face began turning a rich shade of red again.

"Aha, come on! You have to admit that was pretty fun! Well… I mean, as long as you're not the one who has to suffer."

Ron bit his lips and finally let out a sigh. He walked dejectedly over to his bed and slowly lowered himself onto it.

"…Let's just promise to never play this game again."


	7. The adventures of Pigwidgeon

**Sorry, this one was a bit rushed. Nonetheless, hope you enjoy!**

**Written for the Quidditch Fanfiction Competition**

I looked around the place where the human, the one they called Ron, set me down. It was a soft bed in a small room. He sat down next to me and smiled.

"So, this is your new home!" Ron said. He scratched at his orange hair and sighed. "I know it's small but I can't let you out. You're too annoying."

I let out a little purr and fluffed out my feathers. What did he mean I was annoying? Everyone loved me!

As Ron unpacked his bags, a knock came from the door.

"Ron, can I come in?" The girl, Ginny, walked in and closed the door behind her. She grinned when she saw me.

"Pigwidgeon!" Ginny cried, reaching out to pet me.

Ron groaned from across the room. "Don't call him that," he said.

"But he likes the name!"

As the two humans argued back and forth, I flew over onto Ginny's head and proceeded to make myself a nest from her hair. I wasn't sure why but she started yelling but Ron quickly plucked me off.

"Bad! Bad… uh…Pigwidgeon!" Ron scolded despite my squeaks of protest.

Ginny laughed. "He surprised me!" she said, petting my head. "He's such a crazy little thing." I had no idea what crazy meant but I decided to agree with her.

Ginny took me from Ron's hands and walked towards the door. "I'm going to take him down for a bit, Ron."

"Alright. Don't let him annoy Errol."

As Ginny skipped down the stairs, I chirped happily. Freedom!

She showed me around the house. There were some rooms I've never been in before.

"This is Mum and Dad's room," Ginny said, opening a door. "You're not allowed in it, alright? You're also not allowed into Percy's room, no matter what, but it's alright. His room's rather boring. You wouldn't want to go in it."

As we circled the kitchen, Ginny fed me an owl treat. She laughed as I gobbled it down.

"You're also not allowed into Fred and George's room," Ginny told me. "Crazy things happen in there. Oh, the troubles you'll get into if you went in there!"

I let out a hoot. That room sounded fun!

We passed by Errol who was asleep on the couch. I called out a greeting and he told me to go away. What a boring owl. I dive bombed him yesterday for fun. He didn't have to take it so seriously.

Ginny stopped at one last door. "And…" she announced, opening it. "Here's my room!"

It looked normal enough, kind of like Ron's. I fluttered over to her bed and felt it around with my claws. It was very soft. I decided I could sleep with Ron for one day and Ginny the other.

I heard Ginny call my name and perked up. Did she have more owl treats? No, she was just bringing out a big book.

"Pig, do you want to see some pictures?" Ginny asked. She opened the book, revealing a lot of little moving people. They looked delicious but when I pecked at them, Ginny picked me up.

"You can't eat them, Pig," she laughed. I pecked her arm affectionately instead, hoping for another owl treat.

Just then, a call came from the living room. Ginny set me on the bed and said, "Coming, Mum!" she left the room with the door open.

I preened my feathers and waited for her to come back but got bored. Suddenly, I remembered the rooms I weren't allowed to go into. Fred and George's sounded so interesting, surely the humans wouldn't mind if I went for a quick visit!

I flew up the stairs and stopped by the one with yelling and crashing sounds coming out of it. The door was opened a crack. I nudged it open with my head and stepped in.

There were two people in the room. They were bent over a cauldron and pouring something into it. One of them brought forth a green liquid and scooped out a drop into the mixture. The cauldron began bubbling and shaking.

"Aw, cripes! Take cover, George!" one of them yelled. Both humans ran behind their desk as the cauldron exploded.

I was hit with a blob of green muck. I let out a startled squeak and took into the air. What was going on? I couldn't see much because of the smoke. How do I get out of here? Which way was the door?

Meanwhile, the two humans continued talking. "That was bloody wicked, Fred!"

"Yeah! I think we perfected it!"

"Awesome! We should go show Mum- hey, what's that?"

They've spotted me! I hurtled through the air and bonked my head into one of them. He let out a cry and made a grab for me but missed. I spotted the door and shot out before they could do anything else. I have to get out of here!

I flew into the closest room which happened to have another human in it. He was writing something at his desk but turned and spotted me when I accidently flew into his wall.

"What on earth?" he yelled, staring at the green splatter I left. I flew around a bit more, trying to get out and leaving a few more stains where I slammed into the ground, wall, and bed.

"FRED! GEORGE!" The human yelled. "Get this owl out of there!"

A woman's voice came from downstairs. "Percy? What're you doing up there?"

I finally found the door and flew out. These humans were crazy! This house was crazy! Where was Ginny? Where was Ron?

Somehow, I found myself flying into the couch with Errol in it.

_Errol! _I hooted. _Help me! There are humans out to get me! _I could hear footsteps approaching already.

He opened one lazy eye and said, _it's your fault. They leave you alone if you're nice and quiet like me but you're so loud._

_But I didn't mean to get them mad! _I exclaimed.

_It's ok, they won't do anything. Just act sorry. The little girl won't be able to refuse your adorable face._

_Oh alright! Thanks Errol!_

At that moment, I was picked up by none other than Ginny. She was surrounded by her brothers who looked mad and surprised. I blinked at her, trying to tell her I was sorry but she seemed more worried about me.

"Oh, poor Pig!" Ginny said. "Come, I'll get you cleaned up."

"Ginny, what happened to the couch?" That was the mum who just came in. She gaped, looking at where I left a huge green stain on the couch.

"It was Fred and George!" Ginny said, holding me protectively.

"What?" George yelled. "That little furball made the whole house a mess! How's this our fault!"

"You scared him!" Ginny insisted. "You should've kept your door closed while experimenting, you know better!"

"I agree," The other boy, Percy, said. "My room's a mess, Mum! Aren't you going to do something about those two?"

As Mum leaned threateningly towards the twins, Ginny crept away with me.

She whispered, "Tergeo," as we climbed the stairs and the green liquid vanished from my feathers. I chirped happily and nudged her with my head. My savior!

When we got to Ron's room, he was already out his door.

"What's going on down there?" he asked. "Why's Mum screaming at Fred and George again?"

Ginny shrugged. "They were being stupid again," she said handing me to Ron. "Be careful not to let Pig out of your sight. I did for a second and he almost tore the house down."

"Haha," Ron laughed. "He couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it."


End file.
